Return to the PIE Home PageIn 1990, 11.9% of the population (about 114,000 persons) was without health insurance in Franklin County. As the chart above illustrates, Franklin County had a higher uninsured rate than Ohio as a whole, and the second highest of Ohio's largest metropolitan counties. A lack of health insurance ultimately leads to postponement or neglect of needed health care, greater financial burden, and a deterioration in health status in general. Trends identified as contributing to a lack of health insurance include: growth in services, retail trade and construction industries; growth in small-size firms; increases in single-parent families (particularly female); and growth in poverty and minority populations. Each of these trends can be observed, and are occurring simultaneously, in Franklin county.
Lack of health insurance also varies significantly by age. In Franklin County, 14.5% of adults (18-64 yrs) were without health insurance in 1990, compared to 8.5% of children ages 0 to 17. Statewide data indicates that persons 19 to 24 are most likely to be uninsured (27.2% in Ohio). Due to nearly universal Medicare coverage and greater financial ability, only 0.6% of the elderly (65+ yrs) were uninsured in Ohio.
Area 0-17 Yrs 18-64 Yrs All Ages Cuyahoga Co. 9.5% 13.2% 10.3% Franklin Co. 8.5% 14.5% 11.9% Hamilton Co. 11.5% 12.9% 10.9% Montgomery Co. 10.9% 13.2% 11.0% Summitt Co. 9.8% 13.6% 11.0% Lucas Co. 11.1% 15.2% 12.2% Ohio 12.9% 13.3% 11.5%
Note: "All Ages" includes persons 65 yrs and older.
Source: "Uninsured Ohioans 1990: Demographic Characteristics of Persons Without Health Insurance in Ohio," Ohio Department of Health, April 1993.
Filename: PS-002